Working in Japan

[sburnham]

Hello, everyone. I am new to the site and trying to learn Japanese on my own, I will be in Tokyo for a week in March 2010. The trip is what is giving me the push to actually start learning Japanese. I have always thought it would be great experience to live in Japan. But, being 30 and never attending college kinda puts stop to that since I read that you have to have a college education to work in Japan. I am going assume that the easiest job to find as a foreigner would be a English teacher. I have thought about maybe actually going and getting a college education starting next year. I was looking into some programs for English teacher like JET and a lot of them have put a age limit of 40. My question is, if I get a college education and graduate when I am 35, would that make it harder for me to find teacher work since I am not in my 20's like it seems most people are that are in these programs.

Thanks!
~Scott

[Taurus]

I recently took the decision to go to Japan to teach English (in order to learn Japanese - up until now I have been working in the videogame industry). I'm 33, and I was offered a couple of positions (with Gaba and G.Education Nova - neither of which, I gather, are particularly amazing employers, but I figured I might be able to branch out once I got over there). In the end, though, I also managed to secure a place on the JET programme, and I'll be heading out there on July 25.

I think it is fairly unusual for older people to be given a place on JET, but I think that's because it's fairly unusual for them to apply. Certainly, I think the fact that you have committed to a college degree late in life in order to achieve a place on the JET programme will look good on your statement of application - then you just have to also show the selectors that both they and you will benefit from giving you a place.

Do you know which embassy you would apply through, if you were to apply for JET? It might be worth contacting them to find out their stance. I think some of the embassies can be a bit stuffy about people contacting them, but I was lucky enough to apply through an embassy staffed by someone super-helpful, and I spent most of my application process harassing her by phone and email (my situation was further complicated by my dual nationality).

Whatever you decide to do, ganbatte!

Edit: Oh, and one other thing! A college education has all sorts of benefits regardless of your desire to teach Japanese!

[untmdsprt]

You're never too old to do anything. I should know, I'll be 42 in Sept and I quit a good paying job in the states two years ago just to come to Japan.

The JET program does have an age limit, but the others don't. One issue though, Japanese are anal about age. You'll be asked numerous times if you have problems with people's ages. From what I can tell, people don't respect just the title, but also the proper pecking order the person has to be older too.

I've actually had to decline jobs because the company made an issue out of my age, and thought I would have problems working for younger people. I finally found a couple of places that could care less about my age.

Oh, the students will ask you how old you are also. I never tell them because it's none of their business. If they keep on, then I tell them I'm 300 years old.